Went and got myself hooked on shootin'

I spent a week in Florida and while I was there decided to take some of my vacation time to finally do some shooting to see what all the fuss is about. I had planned on visiting Anthony and hitting the range (he had a nice outdoor range picked out so we could do some rifle shooting, which I was really excited about), but the weather (and his busy schedule, of course...Not like he was on vacation as well ;) ) kept us from doing that.

So my wife's uncle took me to an indoor range to fire a few of his pistols. He had a bunch that I wanted to test out, but since I never fired any pistols before, I figured I'd just let him take care of all that. I wish we would have done some rifle shooting as well...he had an M1, and a shotgun I wanted to try out.

Anyway, he took a Ruger .45, a Smith and Wesson .45 (his CCW) and a Smith and Wesson .38 revolver. We had two boxes of .45 and a box of .38 special wadcutters. I fired about 3/4s of the box with the Ruger, and I gotta say that thing was far more gun than I was expecting. I've never fired a pistol, so starting off with that bad dog was a bit much. I was basically closing my eyes and partially flinching with every shot. I had the target at between 20 and 25 yards the whole time, so I was really hitting all over the place.

There were holes everywhere on that paper because that gun was too manly for me to be using (I'll take a pic and post it here when I get a chance). When my wife's uncle (would that be uncle-in-law?) decided he finally didn't like his S&W .45 (this was his last time at the range to decide if he was keeping it) he let me fire off the rest of the box that I had with it. The funny thing is, it's a smaller gun and it fits my hand much better than the Ruger, but maybe I was getting used to the kick (or overcompensating for it anyway). I kept all of the shots around the "gut" of the target, but I was aiming for the heart. So even though the shots were grouped much closer than I was doing with the Ruger, I was compensating for the kick and all the shots hit low.

We finished off the trip by taking turns with the .38 on a fresh target (which I didn't keep, but I should have). I did a lot better with that one. I was hitting close to where I was aiming and the kick and crap was far more tolerable (although I can't seem to get past closing my eyes with every shot. That's got to be a bad habit). The gun felt very solid and fit my hand better than the other two pistols. I loved it except for the while 5 shot capacity, and the hassle of reloading a revolver (although it was easier than having to load the magazines, having a full magazine to reload was much more convinient). I was able to actually hit areas where I was aiming, but just not the actual point I was aiming for.

Needless to say I'm hooked now, and I want to shoot some rifles, shotguns and of course more pistols. I want to try out some 9mm pistols to see if I want to go that route, or just stick it out with the .45s. I also want to do a ton of .22LR shooting, just to get a feel for how to aim and crap like that.

Pity we had that severe storm and tornado warnings. It really reminded me of how the last hurricane started!

Glad you had fun man! Now go get CCW there in Vegas!

Originally Posted by Sifu Rudy Abel

"Just what makes a pure grappler think he can survive with an experienced striker. Especially if that striker isn't following any particular rule set and is well aware of what the grapplers strategies are".

LOL, I don't know if I'm ready to start carrying a firearm. I just want to hit something that I intend to hit. And hit it good enough to make it stop.

Yeah, shame about the weather. At least I got to shoot something, though. I mean I can go shooting anytime here in Vegas, but I wanted to get together with a fellow Bullshidoka and do some shooting (or sparring...or at the very least eating).

Shooting low is a common reaction to recoil and noise--you "flinch" without really thinking about it. I have a bit of a flinch myself, to be honest. If you load a revolver but leave some empty chambers, every once in awhile you'll pull the trigger and no bang will ensue. Try it if you get the chance--you'll be surprised how far and how fast you're jerking the gun down when you *expect* it to fire.

This is a good way to break a flinch. I took too much time off from shooting (not by choice) and then put 150 rounds of .45 downrange last Sunday. My flinch was back, but by the end of the session I had it under control. It can certainly be done.

If possible, shoot a .22 rifle and pistol before you shoot anything else again. This will let you concentrate on having fun hitting a target before you worry about recoil and noise. I start new shooters out on a Ruger .22 with a heavy, "bull" barrel. This gun doesn't even move under .22 recoil and with ear protection you can barely hear it. People forget about recoil and just make the target dance.

(EDIT: Cross-posted this; didn't mean to tell you what you already knew.)

Get a sinlge shot contender .44 magnum, and put about twenty rounds through it (if you hands can take it) or until your flinch goes away. Then grab a 9mm or a .45 and have a go, I promise you will not flinch even a little bit.

Shooting low is a common reaction to recoil and noise--you "flinch" without really thinking about it. I have a bit of a flinch myself, to be honest. If you load a revolver but leave some empty chambers, every once in awhile you'll pull the trigger and no bang will ensue. Try it if you get the chance--you'll be surprised how far and how fast you're jerking the gun down when you *expect* it to fire.

We found out that using old .38 ammo had the same effect. :tongue11: Every once and a while the round didn't go off. I have to be honest, that freaks me out and is very unnerving, because I wouldn't have known what to do afterwards.

Originally Posted by Don Gwinn

This is a good way to break a flinch. I took too much time off from shooting (not by choice) and then put 150 rounds of .45 downrange last Sunday. My flinch was back, but by the end of the session I had it under control. It can certainly be done.

If possible, shoot a .22 rifle and pistol before you shoot anything else again. This will let you concentrate on having fun hitting a target before you worry about recoil and noise. I start new shooters out on a Ruger .22 with a heavy, "bull" barrel. This gun doesn't even move under .22 recoil and with ear protection you can barely hear it. People forget about recoil and just make the target dance.

(EDIT: Cross-posted this; didn't mean to tell you what you already knew.)

Trust me, I have too much "book knowledge" on firearms (from reading a ton of books, magazines and internet forums), so any actual advice is better for me. I prefer to get the guidance of an expert instead of pretending to know how to shoot, because I use the term "magazine" instead of "clip".

Get a sinlge shot contender .44 magnum, and put about twenty rounds through it (if you hands can take it) or until your flinch goes away. Then grab a 9mm or a .45 and have a go, I promise you will not flinch even a little bit.

Sounds like getting punched in the face full force to prepare for light contact sparring with friends. :icon_thum Don't know if I'm up to trying out a .44 magnum, though. I have a hard enough time just getting used to the idea of firing a real pistol, let alone one with a lot of power, kick and noise.

Needless to say I'm hooked now, and I want to shoot some rifles, shotguns and of course more pistols. I want to try out some 9mm pistols to see if I want to go that route, or just stick it out with the .45s. I also want to do a ton of .22LR shooting, just to get a feel for how to aim and crap like that.